Fluid-pressure steering apparatus.



E. E'. BRYANT.

ILUID PRESSURE STEERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5, 1910.

1,036,07 l Patented Aug. 20, 191.2.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

E. E. BRYANT. FLUID PRESSURE STEERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.5, 1910.

Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Bluurumr CIK ',vievv partly in' section oie the EXTWARD E. BRYANT, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FLUID-ERESSURE STEERIG AEPARATUS.

Speeincction of Letters Patent.l Patent-eid Amig.y 239, 1912.,

Application lcd August.' 5, i910. Serial No. 575,778.

To all whom i' may cmwem:

Be it known that l, EDWARD E. BRYANT, a citizen of the United States, residingat Illinois, have invented certain new and useful improvements in luideliessurc Steering Apparatus; and il do declaie the following` to he e full, clear, and exact desciiption of' 'the invention.A such es Willeneble otheis skills; in the to which it afppc# tains to malte and use the seme,'ieteience being had to the accompanying drawings,

and to the chaiacteis of i'eference marked thereon, which form e loai-t of this specificetlon.

This invention relates to steering; mechanism for motell vehicles, und ecnsists in the construct-ion arming/ement 'of punts hei'f inaftei'A more fully set forth and particularly in the claims.

The object of the invention is to provide simple, elicientend economical means for,

operating the steering' device of e moto?. vehicle through the medium of iluid undefA pressure, provision hef-ing made toe placing the contiol of the actuating mechanism conv veniently withini'csch of the opeietc'iV on drive? and ioi operating said eoutiol-ling` means with but little physical cileno, andv the :iriang'ement beingsucli estov dispense with the ordinary, steering Wheel end steering; post, end lo ulivista shock andv vibre ihn to the hands of the drives?, as inthe cons'tiuction commonly employed.-

The. above object is attained lythe ynoechanisni` illustietcd in 'the accompanying drawings, in Which Figure lillustiates one embodiment oi 'my invention, us employed in actu-ating the steering mechanism of an zuitomohile. Fig. 2 is e fragmentary vieu1 in pien, showing` the connection of the piston rod o t 'the iiuid pressure cylinder with an arm on the steel"- ing` knuckle ci an automobile. is e cont folli ng valve and the pipes leadingn therefrom. Fig'. is shoiiS/.oniul section, as on line Q -4l of 3. Fig'. e. hoiiz/.ontsl section through the cylinder and piston thei i, the piston rod appesi-ing' in. elevation. l f. t3 is a isg'i'nentary view in section, showin A the incline on the ai'in oi' the eoutvolling valve for actuating' one ol t he exhaust' valves.

Referring to the chmuctors ot' vefeienee, l. designates ya main pressure cy pointed out lndei ndept- ,voir l a. supply pipe 8 extcndslto the valve 65 case 4 and communicates therewith through.

e porti 9, as shown .in Fig. 4. Leading from one side of the valve case isa pipe l0 and leading' from the opposite side of said case isv o pipe 1l.. The pipe 1 0;V communicates 7o with the valve case thiough la port l2, pipe ll communicates with. the vgxlve case -tliiough a port 13. The ports l2 and y13 are Yin the same horizontal plane as'A the port 9.

The pipe 1U leeds toand coinmunicates with 75 a cylinder lat at one end, as shown in Fig.

5, and-the pipe'l leads`A to and communil Cetes with the opposite end 'et' said cylinder. rThe cylinder 14 maybe secured to the fname ofthe caiinf any. suitable manner und is 8O vprovided "with apiston rod l5. One end of 4'thepiston -iod is jointedly connected, as

shown atl '16 in Fig. 2, With an aun l of the steering knuckle 18, the opposite steering-lmucltlel' being connected thereto in 85l the usual vmanner bythe connecting iod 20. lThe ends of the piston iods project. through the ends of the cylindei. l-l end are embraced hy suitable glands 21 and 22.

ln order to ohviate the leakage of air past 9i! the piston -Withiut-he' 'cylinder le, I pio vide said' cylinder with a` specially constructed piston consisting of a central disk 28 fest to the pistonfod and filling, the

Ydian'ietei of 'thc-cylindres.' On opposite sides'95 of said central disk are compressible gaskets 2st and formed of leather, or analogousinaterial, und ot' a diameter to till the bore ofthe cylinder. Loosely mounted upon the piston rod and bearing against said gaskets 100 are met-al disks 2G and 27. Said movable disks, by the `pressure in the opposite ends of", the cylinder, will ne carried foi'ciloly against the gaskets 24 and 25, whereby seid gaskets willhe coninressed suliciently th' lo expand their peripheries 'forcibly into contact with the wnllof the cylinder and effecting such a closureas'to prevent the escape ot fluid Aunder pressure past the piston from one end of th-e'cylinde tothe other. 110

through the upper end of said case. With- 5 in the valve case 28 is a chamber 31 fromy which leads a vent opening 32 controlled by a needle valve 33. By means of said needle valve the quantity of fluid under pressure which may escape through the vent opening' 32 when the valve 29 is open, maybe regulated. The valve 29 is normally held to its seat by the tension of a coiled spring 34, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. Communicating with the pipe 10 is a valve case 35 having therein an exhaust valve 36 whose stemy 37 projects through the top of said case .and ywhich is normally seated -by means of'a coiled spring 38.. Leading from the chamber of -valve 36 vis a vent opening 39 controlled by a needle.valve 40. Connected with the stein' of plug cock valve 5, which for convenience will be called the centrollei-` valve is a cross arm 41 provided at its ends with inclined planes 42 and 43, respectively, which bear upon the upper ends of thevalve stems 30 and 37. In the body of valve 5 is a curved recess 44 which when the valve is in its normal position, will register with the' ort 9 of the supply pipe 8, the body of sai valve in said position, closing the ports' 12 and 13 communicating.

with the pipes 10 and 11, respectively, as clearly shown .in Fig. 4. Assuming that the parts are in the positions shown 1n Figs. 3 and 4, a rotation of the valve 'stem to the right through the medium of the handle 7 will cause the recess 44 in said valve toregister with the'ports 9 and 12 and admit; air from the main reservoir by wa of pipe 8 to the forward end of the cylinder 14 by way of pipe 10. This movement of the valve stem will at the same time cause the inclined plane 42 at the end of the cross arm 41 to engage 4the upper end of valve stem 30 and depress said stem to unseat the exhaust valve 29, permitting air to exhaust through the vent opening 32 from pipe 11 and from the cylinder 14 on the rear side of the piston therein. By admitting reservoir pressure to the forward end of the cylinder 14 and exhausting the, air from the rear end thereof, the iston will be moved rearwardly, there y drawing upon the piston rod 15 and actuating the steering knuckles to swing the steering wheels 45 to the right. After actuating the piston as just described, the controller valve is returned to the neutral position shown in Fig. 4,'thereby cutting olf the reservoir pressure from the cylinder 14 and closing the ports 12 and 13 with which the cylinder pipes 10 and 11 communicate.

The pressure on opposite Sides of the piston in the cylinder will then become balanced, thereby holding the piston teglthe position to which it has been moved.

To turn the steering wheels in the opposite direction, the valve 5 s'rotated lto the left so as to place the ports 9 and 13 in communication with ther'eess 44 therein, a movement which allowspressure .from the main reservoir to flow into the rear end of the cylinder 14 through pipe 11,-at the same-time carrying the inclined plane 43. on the cross arm into engagement with the upper end of the valve stem 37 and depressing said stem to open the valve 36, thereby allowingthe air in pipe 10 to escape or exhaust through the vent opening 39 from the forwardend of said cylinder, whereby the piston will be moved forwardly and the piston rod'15 actuated to turn the steering knuckles and the Steering wheels to the'left, after which operation the controller valve is returned to t-he neutral position shown in Fig. 4, again closling the ports 12 and 13, allowing the pressure in the cylinder on each side of the piston to become balanced, whereby the piston is held fromwmovement in either direction and the steering wheels are maintained in the position to which they have been turned. When the piston is exactly in the center of cylinder 14, the steering wheels will be held at right angles to the front axle 46, the pres-v sure in the opiposite ends of said cylinder holding the W eels against turning in either direction, relieving the driver entirely from any. physical exertion in either holdingv or actuating the steering apparatus and eliminating all jar and vibration from the hands of the driver.

It will be noted that as the controller valve is operated, one of the exhaust valves communicating with the cylinder pipes '10 and 11 is concurrently actuated to exhaust the air from the end of the cylinder toward which the piston is moved; the rapidity of said lexhaust being entirely controlled by the needle valves 33 and 40. The pressure in through encountering an obstruction or from other causes. l

'By means of this improved steering mechanism, the steering wheel and steering post are eliminated, making it possible for the driver to enter or leave the front lseat on either sidewith equal facility.

and the supply pipe 8 leadlng to the main reservoir will be concealed in the frame of the body and the other parts so disposed as to obviateany objection on the ground of unsightliness, and at the same time enablev the mechanism to be readily controlled by the driver. ating cylinder 14, as shown, it may be disposed parallel -With' the front axle with the Instead of-mounting the actu-Q 1.20 In practice the; 'cylinder pipes 10 and 11 ends ot the pist-on rods connected directly to the arms ot the steering knuckles in place of the connecting rod 2U.

Having thus tully set forth my invention, what. l' claim as new and desire 'to secure hy Letters Patent, is

l. Fluid controlling mechanism for steering apparatus, comprising a cont-roller valve, a projecting stem tor manually actuating said valve, pipes connecting said controller valve through independent ports with the ends ot' a cylinder and with a source ot fluid under pressur said ports being norm-ally -closed hy said controller Valve, exhaust `yalves communicating with said cylinder pipes independently, anfilrindependently of the controller valve, means actuatahle oy a movement of the stem of the controller `valve for actuating saidexhaust valves alternately as the controller valve is `successively turned in opposite directions to alternately open the ports of said cylinder pipes, and means independent oitl said opening means tor closing said exhaust valves.

2. Fluid controlling mechanism tor steering apparatus, comprising a controller valve, two pipes connectii'ig said'yalve independently with the ends of a cylinder, a pipe connecting said valve with a pressure reservoir, said controller valve normally closing all ot' said pipes, spring seat-ed exhaust valves in said (zonnet-ing pipes leading to the cylinder independent ot' but located adjacent said controller valve, means carried by the stem ot the controller faire and acluatahle by la movement ot said valve to open the exhaust valve only in the connecting pipe close/rl by the controller valve said controller' valve ing said valve with the ends ot a cylinder and t. Fluid controlling mechanism for steer-ving apparatus, comprising a lcontroller valve, a stem for manually actuating said yalte, pipes connecting said controller valve through independent portswith the ends Iof a cylinder, said ports heing normally closed by said controller valve, exhaust valves communicating with said plpes independently and independently of the controller valve, means actuatahle during the movement ot the controller valve for` gradually opening said exhaust valves alternately as the controller valve is successively operated` in opposite directions to alternately open said connecting pipes, means independent of said opening means for closingthe exhaust Valves/and means tor varying the .volume of fluid discharge from saidexhaust valves irrespective ofA the degree to which said valves may be opened..

Fluid controllingmechanism 'for steering apparatus, comprising a controller valve, pipes connecting the controller Valve to the opposite ends ot' a cylinder, a spring-controlled exhaust valve communicating willi each of said pipes, a stem'connected with the controller valve for manually actuating it, and'cams operatively associated with said exhaust valves and movable with the stem of the controller valve to successively actuate the exhaust Valves as the stein otl the controller valve is turned in opposite directions.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

ICDVARD li). lill-YAY?. W i tnesses I (i). B. Balixzioicu, l'. G. l'lowiiu'r'l. 

